Childhood friends turn uncertainty into shared journey

On July 10, the Long March 10B carrier rocket lifted off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, Hainan province. Among the crowd, 25-year-old vloggers Wang Yihe and Li Donghao stood with cameras in hand, watching its fiery trail stretch across the sky.

For the two childhood friends from landlocked Shanxi province, it was their first time seeing a rocket launch in person.

"The roar was much louder than I had imagined," Wang said. "I could feel it in my chest, as though my heartbeat were rising with the rocket."

The moment appeared in the final episode of the first season of China Story, a travel series published by Lightbearer across several Chinese video platforms, including Bilibili, Douyin and Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote).

Four months earlier, the two young men had left their hometown of Yuncheng with little more than a smartphone, a secondhand drone and 50,000 yuan ($7,386) in savings.

Traveling south across China, they eventually reached Hainan, the country's southernmost province. Along the way, they produced 12 episodes chronicling their journey and the stories they discovered along the route.

By the end of the trip, their original idea had taken shape: to capture the everyday moments, local traditions and personal stories that reflect China today.

Wang and Li had been friends for 20 years, but their lives took different directions after they graduated from college in 2023. Wang moved from city to city trying to figure out what kind of life he wanted. Li twice sat for the national postgraduate entrance examination but failed to achieve the result he had hoped for.

Still uncertain about their futures and yet to attain what society often defines as success, the two young men decided to stop waiting for a clear path to emerge and instead create one of their own.

They launched Lightbearer and started from scratch as travel vloggers, producing carefully filmed stories about the places they visited and the people they met. According to the pair, the channel attracted 200,000 followers within a week.

Their episodes combine geography, history, food and local culture, but they are not conventional travel guides.

Before visiting a city, Wang and Li research its background and identify possible subjects. Once there, however, they are willing to change course if they come across a more compelling story.

Wang had previously worked in short-video production and knew how striking visuals and fast pacing could capture attention.

With China Story, however, he began to focus on quieter moments: water flowing beneath a bridge, a breeze moving through the trees or an ordinary scene that revealed a place's character. Rather than chasing popularity, he wanted to preserve what genuinely moved him.

"A scene does not have to be dramatic to stay with you," he said. "Sometimes, if it gives me a sense of peace, that alone makes it worth recording."

Their approach to storytelling is rooted in their own experience of growing up in Yuncheng. Unlike many famous tourist destinations, their hometown rarely appears on popular travel itineraries. They understand the pride people from smaller cities feel when others show genuine interest in the places they call home.

"When people see something distinctive about their hometown being recognized — especially something that is not widely known — it gives them a sense of pride," Wang said. "That is what we want to share."

Following untold stories

Guided by that belief, the pair often look beyond crowded tourist attractions and turn their cameras toward lesser-known places, cultural traditions and local communities.

In Xinyang, Henan province, they filmed six elderly shadow-puppet artists performing for an audience of only three people.

In Chenzhou, Hunan province, they spent several days with the Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe, documenting its efforts to attract younger audiences, including offering tickets for as little as 9.9 yuan.

For Wang, the small audiences made the performances more important to record, not less. Their value, he believed, lay in the dedication of people who continued practicing their art even when few were there to watch.

"I hope our videos do more than simply provide travel information," Wang said. "I hope they help viewers form an emotional connection with the places and people we encounter and leave them with a lasting sense of warmth."

Some of the series' most memorable stories grew out of unplanned encounters.

In Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, they met two foreign travelers — one from Spain and the other from Colombia — who had first crossed paths on a 4 am train in Chongqing and decided to travel together.

Wang and Li set aside their filming plan and joined them, and this impromptu adventure later became the highlight of the episode.

In Xuchang, Henan province, they met an 80-year-old man traveling alone across the country. His journey challenged their assumptions about age, the timeline society expects people to follow and the idea that there is only one right way to live.

"Conventional definitions of success can fade with time," Li said. "What matters most is building a life you truly enjoy."

Wang and Li began with modest equipment, a tight budget and no guarantee that viewers would respond to their work. They have now attracted more than 550,000 followers, with people aged 20 to 35 accounting for over 60 percent of the total.

"Many people think they can only begin when they are fully prepared for everything. But there is no such thing as a perfect plan," Wang said.

"What matters is having the courage to take that first step. Once you do, you meet people and discover possibilities you could never have imagined," he continued.

mengwenjie@i21st.cn